JRC-321
A white jute, popularly called Sonali, notified in 1974. It has the finest fibre of the white-jute releases on the AINP list, 1.50 tex, and is the one grown on the low-lying land of North Bengal and the Brahmaputra valley. It is sown from late February to late March.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Jute
- Type
- White jute (Corchorus capsularis)
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- Cut at the small-pod stage, about 100 to 120 days; the full crop is 120 to 140 days (crop-level)
- Seed rate
- White jute (capsularis), Assam package: 6 to 7 kg/ha in rows or 10 to 11 kg/ha broadcast. TNAU: 7 kg/ha in rows or 10 kg/ha broadcast.
- Expected yield
- 20 to 25 q/ha of fibre (AINP list)
- Suitable soil
- Low-lying alluvial land; white jute can grow in standing water, especially late in its growth (TNAU)
- Disease resistance
- No disease rating found; the Assam package rates JRC 212, not JRC 321
- Release
- ICAR-CRIJAF, Barrackpore · notified 1974 (S.O. 598(E), 8 October 1974)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
JRC-321, popularly called Sonali, is a white jute (Corchorus capsularis) variety from ICAR-CRIJAF, Barrackpore. The AINP list on jute and allied fibres gives its notification as S.O. 598(E) of 8 October 1974, together with JRC 212. It has non-shattering pods, gives 20 to 25 q/ha of fibre and has the finest fibre of its white-jute releases, 1.50 tex. It suits sowing from late February to late March. An IARI agronomy chapter describes the North Bengal and Brahmaputra valley tract, in Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri and in Goalpara, Kamrup and Nagaon, as mainly white jute with JRC 321 in the low-lying areas and JRC 212 in the rest.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose JRC-321 if you farm low-lying land in North Bengal or the Brahmaputra valley that holds water and you want a white jute with fine fibre, 1.50 tex on the AINP list. It is sown earlier than JRC-212, from late February to late March. It yields 20 to 25 q/ha, below the 25 to 28 of JRC-212, so on mid and high land that drains, JRC-212 gives more. Tossa varieties such as JRO 66 give more on paper, but tossa jute does not thrive in standing water.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeLate February to late March (AINP list).
- Seed rateWhite jute (capsularis), Assam package: 6 to 7 kg/ha in rows or 10 to 11 kg/ha broadcast. TNAU: 7 kg/ha in rows or 10 kg/ha broadcast.
- SpacingAssam: rows 22 to 25 cm apart, plants 5 to 7 cm apart, thinned to 60 to 70 plants a square metre.
- IrrigationA crop sown in February to April needs irrigation until the monsoon starts: a pre-sowing irrigation, then roughly monthly (IARI). Keep enough moisture at germination and when the crop is knee high.
- FertilizerWhite jute: 40 kg N, 25 kg P2O5 and 30 kg K2O per hectare in the Assam package. IARI gives a wider range of 40 to 80, 40 to 50 and 60 to 80 kg. In heavy soils put it all at sowing; in light soils or high rain, split the N.
- HarvestingCut at the early pod stage. In flooded fields the plants are uprooted. Leave them 2 to 3 days to shed leaves, tie bundles of 20 to 25 cm, and ret in clean water at about 34 degrees C (IARI).
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- The finest fibre of the white-jute releases on the AINP list: 1.50 tex.
- Grown on the low-lying land of North Bengal and the Brahmaputra valley.
- Non-shattering pods.
Things to consider
- Yield of 20 to 25 q/ha is lower than JRC-212 (25 to 28) and the tossa varieties (35 to 40).
- Waterlogging still hurts fibre quality. IARI notes that quick drainage may not be feasible in low land.
- We found no disease rating for JRC 321.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- West Bengal
- Assam
- Bihar
Low land: sowing late February to March, cutting before the deep water
The AINP list puts JRC 321 in the earlier sowing window, late February to late March, ahead of JRC 212 in mid-March to mid-April. The reason an early date suits low land is simple arithmetic. Sown on 25 February, 100 to 120 days is 5 to 25 June. Sown on 25 March, it is 3 to 23 July. An early crop is cut before the deepest water of July and August. That reason is our reading, not a line in the AINP list.
Jute sown in February to April has to be irrigated until the monsoon starts, says IARI: a pre-sowing irrigation and then roughly monthly, with enough moisture at germination and when the crop is knee high. So an early sowing buys you timing and costs you a few irrigations. Count them before you choose the date.
IARI is plain about the risk. Jute is sensitive to drought and to waterlogging, and waterlogging hurts fibre quality. In low land quick drainage may not be possible, and in flooded fields the plants are uprooted at harvest. White jute copes better with standing water than tossa, but not for free. Cut as soon as the pods are small, bundle, and get the bundles into clean water at about 34 degrees C.
Can you keep your own planting material?
JRC 321 is an ordinary, non-hybrid variety, so seed from your own seed plot grows into the same type. Fibre jute is cut before the seed is ripe, so seed comes from a separate plot left to mature. IARI gives a seed yield of about 0.4 to 0.5 t/ha for white jute. Certified seed covers only about 35% of India's jute area, so ask a certified producer first.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Jute variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JBO 2003 H (Ira) | Finer tossa fibre, no early flowering | Cut at the small-pod stage, about 100 to 120 days; the full crop is 120 to 140 days (TNAU, crop-level) | No labelled AINP yield found; about 38 q/ha of fibre is quoted in a technical presentation | West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha |
| JRC-212 | White jute for mid and high land | Cut at the small-pod stage, about 100 to 120 days; the full crop is 120 to 140 days (crop-level) | 25 to 28 q/ha of fibre (AINP); 22 to 26 q/ha in the Assam package | West Bengal, Bihar, Assam |
| JRC-321this page | Fine white jute for low land | Cut at the small-pod stage, about 100 to 120 days; the full crop is 120 to 140 days (crop-level) | 20 to 25 q/ha of fibre (AINP list) | West Bengal, Assam, Bihar |
| JRO 204 (Suren) | Early-sown tall tossa, 36 to 38 q/ha | Cut at the small-pod stage, about 100 to 120 days; the full crop is 120 to 140 days (TNAU, crop-level) | 36 to 38 q/ha of fibre (AINP list) | West Bengal, Bihar, Assam |
| JRO-524 (Navin) | Long-record tossa, mid-March sowing | Cut at the small-pod stage, about 100 to 120 days; the full crop is 120 to 140 days (TNAU, crop-level) | 32 to 40 q/ha of fibre (AINP list); 25 to 30 q/ha in the Assam package | West Bengal, Bihar, Assam |
| JRO-66 (Golden Jubilee Tossa) | Later sowing, mid-April to early May | Cut at the small-pod stage, about 100 to 120 days; the full crop is 120 to 140 days (TNAU, crop-level) | 35 to 40 q/ha of fibre, TD-2 grade (AINP list) | West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha |
| JRO-8432 (Shakti Tossa) | Early-sown tossa, mid-March | Cut at the small-pod stage, about 100 to 120 days; the full crop is 120 to 140 days (TNAU, crop-level) | 35 to 40 q/ha of fibre (AINP list) | West Bengal, Assam |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Jute is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Jute plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Germination CalculatorTest 100 seeds from the bag before sowing and see whether the lot is fit to sow.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Jute variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Jute into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Jute in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Jute rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Frequently asked questions
Is JRC-321 the same as Sonali?
Yes. Sonali is the popular name for JRC-321, a white jute, Corchorus capsularis. It was notified in 1974 along with JRC-212 under S.O. 598(E), 8 October 1974. The JRC prefix marks white jute, and JRO marks tossa jute (Corchorus olitorius).
Why is JRC-321 grown on low land?
An IARI agronomy chapter says that in the North Bengal and Brahmaputra valley tract, in Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Goalpara, Kamrup and Nagaon, white jute is grown with JRC 321 in the low-lying areas and JRC 212 in the rest. TNAU adds that white jute can grow even in standing water, especially late in its growth, while tossa jute will not thrive in it.
What is 1.50 tex, and does it earn me more?
Tex measures fibre fineness: a lower number is a finer fibre. The AINP list gives JRC 321 1.50 tex, the finest of its white-jute releases. The MSP for raw jute, Rs 5,925 a quintal for 2026-27, is for TD-3 grade, so a finer fibre only pays if it is graded and bought as a better grade. Ask your buyer how the grade is set before you count on a premium.
Does JRC-321 need irrigation if I sow in February or March?
Yes, until the monsoon starts. IARI says a crop sown in February to April needs a pre-sowing irrigation and then roughly monthly irrigation, with enough moisture at germination and when the crop is knee high. TNAU puts the water need of jute at about 500 mm, with the first irrigation after sowing and a life irrigation on the fourth day.
Sourced from: Details of varieties — AINP on Jute and Allied Fibres (ICAR), Agronomy: kharif crops, jute — Dr B. Gangaiah, Division of Agronomy, ICAR-IARI, Package of practices for kharif crops of Assam, 2021 — jute (AAU), Crop production: jute — TNAU Agritech Portal. editorial policy.